An automobile as a moving vehicle has various electric devices mounted therein, where a wire harness for transferring power or control signal is wired. The wire harness is provided with a plurality of electric wires and connectors, with which the connectors are engaged with a connector of the electric devices or other wire harness so as to be connected with the electric devices or other wire harness.
A connector applied to such the connector generally includes a tubular connector housing and a terminal fitting accommodated in the connector housing and attached to a terminal of the electric wire, of which various types are employed corresponding to usage environment or object.
Generally, a terminal fitting of the connector is formed such as to bend conductive metal plate, which the terminal fitting is provided with an electric wire connection part connected with the electric wire of the wire harness and an electric wire contact connected with a terminal fitting of a mating connector. The connector housing is provided with a straight hole-like terminal housing accommodating the terminal fitting therein, and a latch lance projecting into the terminal housing, and elastically formed to latch the terminal fitting in the terminal housing.
In such the connector, latch of the terminal fitting only by the latch lance stands insufficient of latch force, likely resulting in escape of the terminal fitting from the connector housing upon wiring in such assembly work for the wire harness. In order to prevent the terminal fitting from escaping from the connector housing, there has thereby been advocated such a connector having a spacer (e.g., see PTLs 1 and 2) or a front holder (e.g., see PTL 3) as an actual latch avoiding escape of the terminal fitting from the connector housing.
A connector 100 describe in PTL 1, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, provided with a connector housing 101, a spacer 102, and a female terminal fitting 103 (herein, referred to as female terminal) to which electric wire is connected. The connector housing 101 is formed of such insulating synthetic resin in generally a box shape, provided with a terminal housing 104 (terminal housing) accommodating a female terminal 103, and a spacer housing 105 (through hole) accommodating the spacer 102. Note that because a connector recited in PTL 2 includes nearly similar components too, the connector 100 of PTL 1 will herein be discussed.
The terminal fitting 104 is plurally arranged in parallel, each straightly extending, longitudinal both ends of which are open communicating with an end face of the connector housing 101. In the terminal housing 104 the female terminal 103 is inserted in its longitudinal direction, and is formed a latch lance 106 facing inside the terminal housing 104 in its back side in an insertion direction. The spacer housing 105 is depressed from one outer face of a plurality of outer faces of the connector housing 101 which intersects a longitudinal direction of the terminal housing 104, disposed across nearly middle in its longitudinal direction of each terminal housing 104.
The spacer 102 is made of insulating synthetic resin, provided with a plurality of insertion pins 107 inserted into the spacer housing 105, and a latch projection 108 disposed in each insertion pin 107. The latch projection 108 is formed vertically two-tire at a side face of each of insertion pins 107, between the two-tire latch projections 108 is formed a space into which the female terminal 103 is allowed to insert. When such the spacer 102 is inserted into the spacer housing 105, a tip of the insertion pin 107 is latched in the connector housing 101 so as to be positioned at a provisional latch position.
A space between the insertion pin 107 and the latch projection 108 of the spacer 102, and the terminal housing 104 communicate with each other, with the spacer 102 positioned in the provisional latch position, so as to allow the female terminal 103 to be inserted into the terminal housing 104. Insertion of the female terminal into the terminal housing 104 then makes the latch lance 106 elastically deformed to latch a recess of the tip of the female terminal 103 therein. In this provisional latch position of the female terminal 103, insufficiency of a latch force by the latch lance 106 likely causes the female terminal 103, upon being pulled with powerful force, to escape from the connector housing 101.
Therefore, further insertion of the spacer 102 positioned at the provisional latch position into the spacer housing 105, as shown in FIG. 10B, has a main body of the spacer 102 latched in the connector housing 101 so as to be positioned at the actual latch position. Positioning of the spacer 102 at the actual latch position makes the latch projection 108 project in the terminal housing 104 so as to latch the projection 103A of a middle of the female terminal 103. As such the spacer 102 positioned at the actual latch position prevents the female terminal 103 from escaping from the connector housing 101.
On the other hand, a connector described in PTL 3, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, is provided with a connector housing 111, a front holder 112, and a female terminal fitting 113 (hereinafter, referred to as female terminal). The connector housing 111 is provided with a terminal housing 114 accommodating the female terminal 113, to an inside of which a latch lance is formed to face. The latch lance 115 is formed slanted from a wall 116 of the terminal housing 114 toward backside of the female terminal 113 in its insertion direction, and between the latch lance 115 and the wall 116 a space 117 is formed.
The front holder 112 is attached from front side of the connector housing 111, provided with a front part 118 having a through hole passing male terminal fitting of other connector therethrough, and restriction projection 119 projecting from the front part 118 to be inserted into the terminal housing 114 of the connector housing 111. The restriction projection 119 enters into the space 117 between the latch lance 115 and the wall 116 when the front holder 112 is attached to the connector housing 111 so as to restrict deformation of the latch lance 115.
In such the connector 110, insertion of the female terminal 113 into the terminal housing 114 of the connector housing 111 makes the latch lance 115 elastically deformed so as to latch a recess 113A of the female terminal 113 therein. In the provisional latch state of the female terminal 113, the front holder 112 is attached from a front side of the connector housing 111, and the restriction projection 119 is inserted into the space 117. Elastic deformation of the latch lance 115 is thereby restricted, lying in an actual latch state latch of the recess 113A of the female terminal 113 is not released, which prevents the female terminal 103 from escaping from the connector housing 101.